Harrison Blackman
@hblackman.bsky.social
A shamus of the tiger sort. Writer of cities, Mediterranean, suspense. Fulbright scholar, WGA screenwriter, narrative journalist. Substack: THE USONIAN.
Pinned
As a neuroscientist, Joel Finkelstein studied mind control in mice. But when he realized social media was influencing human behavior, he set out to build an early warning system for hate. My latest for Princeton Alumni Weekly—and my most ambitious feature to date. paw.princeton.edu/article/joel...
Reposted by Harrison Blackman
I've been waiting to comment publicly on this until the university made its announcement, but the Department of History at Princeton is devastated by the recent death of our wonderful colleague Alison Isenberg.
Alison Isenberg, distinguished urban historian and co-founder of Princeton-Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism and the Humanities, dies
A public memorial and celebration of Isenberg’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the University Chapel.
www.princeton.edu
November 7, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I've been waiting to comment publicly on this until the university made its announcement, but the Department of History at Princeton is devastated by the recent death of our wonderful colleague Alison Isenberg.
I'm devastated that Alison Isenberg, my brilliant thesis advisor—who taught me how to write urban history—has passed. Alison did so much for Princeton's Urban Studies Program. We've lost a shining light who fought for a brighter tomorrow for America's cities.
www.princeton.edu/news/2025/11...
www.princeton.edu/news/2025/11...
Alison Isenberg, distinguished urban historian and co-founder of Princeton-Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism and the Humanities, dies
A public memorial and celebration of Isenberg’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the University Chapel.
www.princeton.edu
November 7, 2025 at 9:03 PM
I'm devastated that Alison Isenberg, my brilliant thesis advisor—who taught me how to write urban history—has passed. Alison did so much for Princeton's Urban Studies Program. We've lost a shining light who fought for a brighter tomorrow for America's cities.
www.princeton.edu/news/2025/11...
www.princeton.edu/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Harrison Blackman
wdym you’re the fruit plate from the 16th inning of the dodgers game
October 31, 2025 at 11:12 PM
wdym you’re the fruit plate from the 16th inning of the dodgers game
Excited to bookend Princeton Alumni Weekly's space-themed issue with a portrait of Henry Norris Russell, the astronomer who helped discover the sun was made of hydrogen. paw.princeton.edu/article/stel...
A Stellar Student, He Transformed Our Understanding of the Stars
Henry Norris Russell 1897 *1900
paw.princeton.edu
October 30, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Excited to bookend Princeton Alumni Weekly's space-themed issue with a portrait of Henry Norris Russell, the astronomer who helped discover the sun was made of hydrogen. paw.princeton.edu/article/stel...
A pleasure to take my talents to South Beach and present materials for “Greece at the Turning Point,” my next book co-edited with Professor Gonda Van Steen (Routledge, 2027) at the 2025 Fulbright Conference in Miami. #FACON25
October 25, 2025 at 9:32 PM
A pleasure to take my talents to South Beach and present materials for “Greece at the Turning Point,” my next book co-edited with Professor Gonda Van Steen (Routledge, 2027) at the 2025 Fulbright Conference in Miami. #FACON25
If there was ever a movie about my life, it should be called ONE DEADLINE AFTER ANOTHER
October 10, 2025 at 7:51 PM
If there was ever a movie about my life, it should be called ONE DEADLINE AFTER ANOTHER
Why are Greek movies so strange? It turns out they've been "weird" for a while, and not for the reasons you might think. My latest essay for the Los Angeles Review of Books. @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social #film #architecture lareviewofbooks.org/article/cris...
Crisis Makes Weird | Los Angeles Review of Books
Harrison Blackman discusses the aesthetics and politics of Greek cinema’s Weird Wave.
lareviewofbooks.org
October 10, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Why are Greek movies so strange? It turns out they've been "weird" for a while, and not for the reasons you might think. My latest essay for the Los Angeles Review of Books. @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social #film #architecture lareviewofbooks.org/article/cris...
Without “At the Mountains of Madness,” we probably wouldn’t have sci-fi horror classics like “The Thing” or “Alien.” Read on for the spookiest chapter in The Usonian’s Narrative Architecture series. www.theusonian.com/p/the-grandd...
The granddaddy of them all
From "The Thing" to "Prometheus," all sci-fi horror owes Lovecraft a cold one
www.theusonian.com
October 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Without “At the Mountains of Madness,” we probably wouldn’t have sci-fi horror classics like “The Thing” or “Alien.” Read on for the spookiest chapter in The Usonian’s Narrative Architecture series. www.theusonian.com/p/the-grandd...
Religious scholar Georges Florovsky lived an odyssey of a life, from the last days of the Russian Empire to New York City. He also really, really loved his Xerox machine. paw.princeton.edu/article/he-f...
He Fled Europe and Became ‘The Patron Saint of Photocopying’
paw.princeton.edu
October 3, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Religious scholar Georges Florovsky lived an odyssey of a life, from the last days of the Russian Empire to New York City. He also really, really loved his Xerox machine. paw.princeton.edu/article/he-f...
Join The Usonian on my latest miniseries—CLANKER CITY—investigating the impact of automation on Los Angeles. www.theusonian.com/p/the-corteg...
"The Cortège" and our ambiguous cybernetic present
Welcome to "Clanker City": an exploration of automation's impact on Los Angeles
www.theusonian.com
October 2, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Join The Usonian on my latest miniseries—CLANKER CITY—investigating the impact of automation on Los Angeles. www.theusonian.com/p/the-corteg...
It was a thrill to speak with Ligaya Mishan about her singular path to one of the most interesting jobs in the world: co-chief restaurant critic for The New York Times. paw.princeton.edu/article/new-...
New York Times Critic Ligaya Mishan ’91 Seeks Magic in the Dining Experience
‘Restaurants are some of our last gathering places,’ Mishan says.
paw.princeton.edu
October 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
It was a thrill to speak with Ligaya Mishan about her singular path to one of the most interesting jobs in the world: co-chief restaurant critic for The New York Times. paw.princeton.edu/article/new-...
Adobe builder, artist and chef Anita Rodríguez has lived a dynamic life from her home in Taos, New Mexico. Learn about her classic recipe for the “Chicana on the run” in “The Stovetop Enchiladas This New Mexican Grandma Has Been Making Her Whole Life.” www.allrecipes.com/anita-rodrig...
The Stovetop Enchiladas This New Mexican Grandma Has Been Making Her Whole Life
In Taos, New Mexico, artist and builder Anita Rodríguez has spent a lifetime cooking. Her stovetop enchiladas—layered in a wok with red chile, cheese, and eggs—reflect both her Chicana roots and her p...
www.allrecipes.com
September 23, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Adobe builder, artist and chef Anita Rodríguez has lived a dynamic life from her home in Taos, New Mexico. Learn about her classic recipe for the “Chicana on the run” in “The Stovetop Enchiladas This New Mexican Grandma Has Been Making Her Whole Life.” www.allrecipes.com/anita-rodrig...
For the last 6 years I’ve been working as a Book Development Consultant. Whether you’re trying to write your memoir or finish your passion project novel, I can help you shape the manuscript for the big-time or for self-publication. Learn more at harrisonblackman.com/consulting
September 22, 2025 at 8:33 PM
For the last 6 years I’ve been working as a Book Development Consultant. Whether you’re trying to write your memoir or finish your passion project novel, I can help you shape the manuscript for the big-time or for self-publication. Learn more at harrisonblackman.com/consulting
It was a joy to return to Taos, New Mexico this past summer and write about the dynamic changes to the legendary town, adding a new chapter to its historic, mystical place in the firmament of the Wild West. paw.princeton.edu/article/magi...
The Magic Is Back in Legendary Taos, New Mexico
Taos is undergoing a revival worthy of its storied history and mystical reputation, Harrison Blackman ’17 writes
paw.princeton.edu
September 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
It was a joy to return to Taos, New Mexico this past summer and write about the dynamic changes to the legendary town, adding a new chapter to its historic, mystical place in the firmament of the Wild West. paw.princeton.edu/article/magi...
Kirsten Bakis' "The Lives of the Monster Dogs" may be the weirdest novel I've ever read. A riff on "Frankenstein" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau," "Monster Dogs" shouldn't work, but does. Here's why. www.theusonian.com/p/monster-dogs
Monster Dogs
A closer look at maybe the weirdest novel ever
www.theusonian.com
September 11, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Kirsten Bakis' "The Lives of the Monster Dogs" may be the weirdest novel I've ever read. A riff on "Frankenstein" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau," "Monster Dogs" shouldn't work, but does. Here's why. www.theusonian.com/p/monster-dogs
“I've never seen so many trees in my life." Check out my travelogue of visiting the real-life inspiration for Twin Peaks (subscribe to Usonian+ to read the whole post). #TheUsonian www.theusonian.com/p/now-enteri...
Now Entering the Real Twin Peaks
"That gum you like is going to come back in style"
www.theusonian.com
August 28, 2025 at 4:31 PM
“I've never seen so many trees in my life." Check out my travelogue of visiting the real-life inspiration for Twin Peaks (subscribe to Usonian+ to read the whole post). #TheUsonian www.theusonian.com/p/now-enteri...
How should we package narrative time while writing fiction? Joan Silber has some answers. harrisonblackman.substack.com/p/joan-silbe...
The Art of Time in Fiction
How should we "write time" in fiction? Joan Silber has some answers
harrisonblackman.substack.com
August 21, 2025 at 5:08 PM
How should we package narrative time while writing fiction? Joan Silber has some answers. harrisonblackman.substack.com/p/joan-silbe...
Achille Tenkiang '17 has founded the Baldwin Institute to foster literacy and creative resistance through the work of James Baldwin. paw.princeton.edu/article/achi...
Achille Tenkiang ’17 Founds Baldwin Institute to Foster Creative Resistance
The organization uses James Baldwin’s literature to engage youth in thoughtful conversations on literature and race
paw.princeton.edu
August 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Achille Tenkiang '17 has founded the Baldwin Institute to foster literacy and creative resistance through the work of James Baldwin. paw.princeton.edu/article/achi...
If I subscribe to MS Office, will I also get access to MS NOW?
August 20, 2025 at 12:40 AM
If I subscribe to MS Office, will I also get access to MS NOW?
Want to write for an L.A.-themed food zine? To-Go Zine is now accepting pitches till 8/25/25. Pitch guide here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
To-Go Zine Call for Written Submissions
CALL FOR WRITERS: To-Go Zine, a LA-focused (for now), charity food zine published by some of the creators (and now LA transplants) previously behind Lunchbox Moments Zine, blends the best of magazine...
docs.google.com
August 11, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Want to write for an L.A.-themed food zine? To-Go Zine is now accepting pitches till 8/25/25. Pitch guide here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
The best sci-fi novel I’ve read in years is the debut of Case Q. Kerns: interconnected stories that entangle and cascade in ways reminiscent of Philip K. Dick and David Mitchell. Learn more from my conversation with this new, exciting voice. www.theusonian.com/p/case-q-ker...
Case Q. Kerns's "Habitat"
An inventive debut sci-fi novel reminiscent of David Mitchell and Philip K. Dick
www.theusonian.com
August 7, 2025 at 4:51 PM
The best sci-fi novel I’ve read in years is the debut of Case Q. Kerns: interconnected stories that entangle and cascade in ways reminiscent of Philip K. Dick and David Mitchell. Learn more from my conversation with this new, exciting voice. www.theusonian.com/p/case-q-ker...
If J. Robert Oppenheimer knew that the Manhattan Project would result in transforming his beloved Los Alamos into a creepy strip mall, maybe he would’ve thought twice about building the bomb? Read my impressions in The Usonian+. www.theusonian.com/p/now-enteri...
July 31, 2025 at 5:23 PM
If J. Robert Oppenheimer knew that the Manhattan Project would result in transforming his beloved Los Alamos into a creepy strip mall, maybe he would’ve thought twice about building the bomb? Read my impressions in The Usonian+. www.theusonian.com/p/now-enteri...
When I started reading Neal Stephenson’s CRYPTONOMICON, I had no idea that I was about to embark on one of the most exhausting and tedious literary experiences of my life. harrisonblackman.substack.com/p/cryptonomi...
Cryptonomicon
The lack of propulsion in Neal Stephenson's doorstop "thriller"
harrisonblackman.substack.com
July 17, 2025 at 5:02 PM
When I started reading Neal Stephenson’s CRYPTONOMICON, I had no idea that I was about to embark on one of the most exhausting and tedious literary experiences of my life. harrisonblackman.substack.com/p/cryptonomi...
It was an extraordinary experience to return to Taos (where I began my writing career) and be invited to comment on the "New Taos" scene.
www.taosnews.com/tempo/cultur...
www.taosnews.com/tempo/cultur...
Taos, under the Silver Lake
It started with a question. “Do you have matcha?” a young woman asked a barista. She wasn’t making this request in a café in a major city like Los Angeles,
www.taosnews.com
July 10, 2025 at 4:48 PM
It was an extraordinary experience to return to Taos (where I began my writing career) and be invited to comment on the "New Taos" scene.
www.taosnews.com/tempo/cultur...
www.taosnews.com/tempo/cultur...
As a neuroscientist, Joel Finkelstein studied mind control in mice. But when he realized social media was influencing human behavior, he set out to build an early warning system for hate. My latest for Princeton Alumni Weekly—and my most ambitious feature to date. paw.princeton.edu/article/joel...
July 3, 2025 at 2:06 AM
As a neuroscientist, Joel Finkelstein studied mind control in mice. But when he realized social media was influencing human behavior, he set out to build an early warning system for hate. My latest for Princeton Alumni Weekly—and my most ambitious feature to date. paw.princeton.edu/article/joel...